Winter appeal 'goes on' despite fuel payment vote

Suffolk County Council estimates around 177,000 pensioners in Suffolk received winter fuel payments under the old system

A charity has said its annual appeal funded by donated winter fuel payments will take place this year despite changes to the handout.

Suffolk Community Foundation (SCF) said it was still working out how its Surviving Winter Appeal would operate this time around.

Last year, it raised £150,000.

The foundation believes the introduction of means testing for the payment means the appeal will be needed more than ever.

The idea of the appeal is quite simple: invite people who do not rely on their winter fuel payment to donate the money, which will then be used to help those who are in need.

The allowance is worth £200 to each pensioner household, rising to £300 for those who are over 80, so as few as five people deciding to forego their allowance could net the charity £1,000.

The appeal has operated successfully since 2011, but the vote to make the allowance available only to people on certain benefits means there will be fewer recipients who do not need it.

Hannah Bloom, director of philanthropy and engagement at SCF, hopes individuals and businesses will support the appeal

Hannah Bloom from the SCF said: "This time, we are going to be appealing to individuals and companies to understand and recognise that the need for that support is greater than ever.

"Hopefully, people will feel generous enough to be able to continue to support it so that we can reach those people who are really struggling with fuel poverty."

"We're talking to charities we've worked with before, who work with older people, to work out how do we reach those people, because, if we're asking the general population to be really generous, we need to make sure that they are reaching those people who really need the help most."

Ms Bloom said the appeal had also targeted low-income households in recent years but would now concentrate solely on pensioners.

The winter fuel payment will only be available to those on certain benefits

She added that the SCF was determined to continue helping older people through the cold weather even if the original premise of the campaign was no longer applicable.

She said: "We just felt that if we don't do anything, it just compounds the problem further."

The appeal will be launched in early November.

A Treasury spokesperson told the BBC that more than a million pensioners across the UK would still receive the winter fuel payment, and the government was encouraging people eligible for pension credit to apply.